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We've previously touched on Microsoft's new email service, Outlook.com. The service has replaced Hotmail and offers advanced functionality along with a refreshed user interface to better match Windows 8 and other products. As well as checking through email, users can also chat with Facebook and Skype contacts in the sidebar. Microsoft has now implemented support for Google Talk.

Like a lot of you, we’ve been yearning for Microsoft to come up with a gift card solution for Windows Phone. Sunny skies ahead. Looks like Microsoft is finally gearing up to drop the Points system on Xbox and replace it with gift cards and cash.

It’s been awhile in the making but Instagraph, the first Instagram uploader for Windows Phone, has just received a pretty hefty update, which also brings support for Windows Phone 7.x users.

Version 1.4.3 is now live in the Store for all devices and has been dropped in price to just $0.99. We should also mention that there are no longer any limits on uploads anymore, making this a good option for many users who want a “legal” way to upload pics to Instagram.

It’s time for another new Xbox Windows Phone game this week. Sadly, Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. 3 didn’t make it out yet, but we still expect it at the end of May or early June. Instead, this week’s release is the not too surprising but still appreciated Angry Birds Rio from Rovio.

I say not surprising because two weeks ago Microsoft and Nokia both announced that Rio would be coming very soon. They weren’t lying! Meanwhile, Angry Birds Rio has also flown in on Windows Phone 7 without Xbox Live features, just as we predicted. Now then, what makes this Rio game different from the 1500 other official Angry Birds titles already available on Windows Phone? Read on to find out.

Some may believe the Man of Steel app isn't enough and we need more superhero bits and bobs. There's an answer to this call with some themed accessories for Nokia Windows Phones. The company has signed a deal with Warner Bros to promote the new Superman movie. Who said hardware running Microsoft's mobile operating system isn't super?

Developers have a hard time getting word out about their work, especially since the platform is still relatively young. Here in the UK we have the Windows Phone User Group, headed up by Matt Lacey (@mrlacey). The monthly meetings enable developers to showcase their apps and / or work in all areas of Windows Phone. We tag along each time to offer more support for developers and to see what's new in the community.

It's a perfect opportunity to get involved and also to meet ourselves for some coverage on this very website. This coming Monday (May 20th), the group is heading to Nokia's new offices in Paddington, London. We encourage all developers to register, come along and demonstrate their work to the audience. As an incentive, there's a special prize on offer too for the best app. Who doesn't want free promotion these days?

The latest Star Trek movie, Into Darkness, is about to hit theaters and while we have the official Star Trek app, we also have the Star Trek Almanac. The Star Trek Almanac is from the same developers of the Star Wars Almanac and contains enough Star Trek knowledge to satisfy a horde of tribbles in heat.

The Star Trek Almanac is spread out just like it's Star Wars counterpart. You have pages covering a featured subject, videos, a sections page with links to people, vehicles, races and planets, as well as pages highlighting updated, popular and seldom seen Star Trek subjects.

Vox Communications is planning to support Windows Phone with its mobile VoIP service. The company currently supports Android, but it has since revealed that plans are set to launch versions on other platforms in the future. The first platform to receive such blessing will be iOS, but we are likely to see BlackBerry and Windows Phone on the horizon thereafter.

As consumers continue to wait patiently for the Surface Pro to launch in the UK, Microsoft has kicked off an interesting deal for its Surface RT Windows 8 tablets. Should you look to purchase one from the official online store or supporting retailers, the company will hand you a free Touch or Type cover per transaction.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has released its catch-up service on Windows Phone with the iPlayer now available for Windows Phone 8 consumers. The app enables users to check out shows they may have missed the past seven days across the BBC channels. As we've covered previously, the BBC hasn't developed a native client as such, but has opted to start with a mobile web wrapper of its website.

If you've been on the fence looking for a deal on a Windows 8 tablet, Dell may have just what you're looking for. The price for the Dell XPS 10 Windows 8 RT tablet has been slashed from $449.99 to $299.99.

The 10.1" tablet comes with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 32GB of memory storage, 2MP front facing camera and a 5MP rear facing camera. You can upgrade the memory to 64GB (add $50) and add a keyboard dock (now only $100) when you customize your purchase. However, Dell is offering the XPS 10 bundled with the keyboard dock for $349. Bump the memory on the bundle to 64GB and you're at $399 which is still a heck of a deal.

Microsoft is offering classes for the younger generations to get started with technology. The YouthSpark Summer Camps will take place at Microsoft Stores in the US and will begin in June. If you head on over to the main hub, one can manipulate the calendar search on the store results page to view availability and more.

During the day, we spoke with Kevin Shields (Management Overhead, Nokia) and Stefan Pannenbecker (SVP Product Design, at Nokia) who were kind enough to take some of inquiries about today’s product reveal.

Want some answers to your most asked questions? Then head past the break...

Microsoft is pushing out a series of updates for both the Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets.

The updates for the Surface RT addresses the low speaker volume and other stability improvements. The Surface Pro updates deal with improved Wi-Fi connectivity and stability along with a video update to improve Skype performance.

Microsoft took the opportunity at the JP Morgan Technology, Media & Telecom conference today to talk about Windows 8.1 (or "Windows Blue" as it has been referred as). The update will be dished out to consumers for free, which is music to ears after the heavy discount Microsoft had in place for Windows 8 when the operating system launched last year.

Gartner has published an interesting report, which details numerous points. The first is Nokia falling to position 10 in the first quarter of 2013. This is out of all mobile phone manufacturers (Samsung remains first). While Windows Phone is increasing its share and sales, Nokia has still yet to experience a surge that will replace the sheer volume of units the company used to ship.

Microsoft has taken the opportunity to discuss its future update plans with the Lumia 925 running a yet-to-be-released version of Windows Phone 8.While probably not the final build, the release is set to be rolled out to consumers later this summer, which will introduce a number of features and improvements. So what can you look forward to?

Over the weekend we gave you a sneak peak at version 4 of our official app for Windows Phone, and we're pleased to say it has now passed certification and is available on the marketplace right here.

So as always please download at your own leisure and enjoy the new features (which we've listed again below). Please note though that voice commands is a paid only feature and is currently only available in US and UK english, something which we're working to improve!

We previously looked at Nokia's new wireless charging stand for vehicles back at Mobile World Congress. The company is back showing off the accessory today but is also using the Lumia 925 to demonstrate a dock app that is activated through NFC. We took a few minutes to run through what this app does and how the overall package will help consumers while driving.

It was announced today that Nokia will be bringing “Amber”, a software update package that will coincide with Microsoft’s GDR2 update later this summer. We got a quick look at some of the new camera functions, which will launch on the Lumia 925 and then come to all Windows Phone 8 Lumias via an over-the-air update.

So what can we expect? FM Radio, up to 3200 ISO support, less noise, enhanced color profile, image quality improvements and more. One of those new features is of course the Smart Camera app that you see demoed here in our video. Indeed, we’re quite excited for this feature to come.

The app, exclusive to the Lumia Windows Phone lineup, allows you to take photos, apply one of a handful of creative filters and then automatically adds the hashtag #2InstaWithLove to the photo, for sharing on your favorite social network.

We're still on the floor here at Nokia's event in London and we're preparing for an imminent interview with SVP Product Design, Stefan Pannenbecker. While we have some questions we'll put forward, we'd like to know what you guys want to have answered. What continues to influence design? How will Nokia innovate on what's currently available? We'd like to hear all your queries.